What seemed like the end of fishing for Todd Chafe and his family from Petty Harbour Newfoundland opened up unexpected opportunities in the fishery as they invested into crab harvesting.

“We’re exploring the personal side of the fish harvesting industry, telling a story about the fish harvesters, their community and ultimately how seafood makes its way to the consumer’s plate” said John Sutcliffe, Executive Director of the CCPFH. “We want to reignite interest in the industry as a career and also to reacquaint Canadians with the value this industry brings to our economy.”

Todd Chafe and his family are now fishing for crab

CCPFH had the opportunity to discover the Petty Harbour community and hop aboard the Chafe’s Quest where Todd and his father George Chafe spoke about the challenges and the opportunities they’ve had throughout their fishing careers.

George Chafe

He highlights some of the difficult times, not knowing the future of the fisheries in the area at the time of the cod moratorium, but he has nothing short of a positive outlook on what’s to come now that he and his father are fishing for crab. He explains the importance of bringing in a quality product as well as the importance of fish harvester professionalization.

“We’re very excited about this series,” said John Sutcliffe. “Our work at the Canadian Council of Professional Fish Harvesters is seen in every aspect of the fish harvester’s day, from safety to the best way to market their catch. We are showing what our organization is about through the actions of Canadian fish harvesters. Few people are aware of the challenges harvesters face and the pride they have in their work.”

The videos are part of a project being funded by the Government of Canada and is being produced by Kobb Media for the Canadian Council of Professional Fish Harvesters.

CCPFH’s main objective is to ensure that fish harvesters have the required knowledge and skills for their trade and to meet the human resource needs of the Canadian fishing industry now and in the future.

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